


A Rockman Christmas Carol

by remythasavage



Category: Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Gen, Illustrations, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Parody, Pretty pictures, brief appearance of some robot masters, yes we're doing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remythasavage/pseuds/remythasavage
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, but of course the evil Dr. Wily has no plans to let anyone enjoy the holidays.Until a certain three ghosts come to visit him in the night...Another shameless ripoff of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol".Featuring original illustrations by blackclawkitty19!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Stave I - Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays! 
> 
> I know this idea has been done to death, but I couldn't help myself. You gotta admit, Wily makes the perfect Scrooge.
> 
> I took some "artistic liberties" with the original story (read: destroyed). So if you are familiar with the Dickens version...I apologize in advance.

It was already late into the evening, but the infamous Dr. Albert Wily was still at his desk, deep within his newest castle. He was hard at work on the latest capsule he was certain would be needed to face off against a certain blue robot. The countless battles against his nemesis almost always came down at the end to nothing between him and Mega Man but his trusty capsule. He had thrown a handful of new robot masters out for good measure, and sent Bass out to slow him down as well. Although at this point he had serious doubts whether that useless boy and his wolf would even buy him any extra time. So to be sure he was prepared for the coming battle he was working late, and by extension everyone else was working late as well. 

Wily leaned back in his chair with a huff, still trying to decide if this capsule should have extra guns or a cloaking device. Making an entire piece of floating machinery invisible took more time and resources than he probably had at the moment…

“Hey, doc!” a robotic voice jolted him from his concentration, “I know we’re not human and all, but don’t we deserve breaks too?”

Wily could tell from the sounds of something jumping around that it could only be Bubble Man. Normally seeing the robot jump around like an oversized frog made Wily laugh, but right now it only increased his irritation,

“No breaks! Mega Man could be here minute, and we need to be prepared!”

“But doc, it’s Christmas eve. Who would be out working at a time like this?” Bubble Man argued. 

Magnet Man had been passing by, carrying some large containers of mets, and set them down in order to wipe away imaginary sweat, “I think it would be good for all of us to have a day off. It’s bad for our health to keep pushing ourselves like this.”

Wily began pounding his fists on the table, “Quiet! No one here needs breaks. I don’t pay you to laze around just because it’s some silly excuse for a holiday. I’ve never taken a day off for Christmas in my entire life!”

“But you don’t pay us…” Bubble Man muttered sadly. 

The mad scientist didn’t seem to hear, “If Mega Man and Light are foolish enough to take a ‘break’” Wily gestured with dramatic air quotes, “then that’s all the more time for us to get ahead. Now back to work!!”

“Humbug…” Magnet Man responded, resuming his transport of the massive containers. 

Once again Wily hadn’t heard, he was already fully absorbed back into his work. 

“Christmas...bah, no one is having any such thing while I can help it.” he muttered to himself. Knowing Thomas and his overly optimistic ways, he probably took the entire week off to party and do whatever sappy things he was wont to do. The very idea made Wily want to throw up. At least here in his fortified castle he was making progress, for this to finally be the time he would defeat Mega Man and humiliate Thomas into perpetual shame. Now THAT would be the only Christmas gift worth having.

~~~~~

It was quite a few hours later. Wily was sure it had been dark for some time, although he wasn’t sure for how long, since this deep inside the fortress there were no windows. He was only made aware of the outside world by the sound of the door crashing open and slamming against the wall. He didn’t bother to look up, knowing who it was.

“Did you manage to stop him for once? Or are you here to be repaired?”

“I don’t need any repairs, old man.” Bass answered with his usual growl, “He was already on the way home, he ran away from me.”

That made Wily spin around in his chair, “So you let Mega Man get away?! Brilliant, as usual.”

Bass rolled his eyes and began brushing the snow off of Treble, “Shut up. I guess it’s Christmas or whatever, he told me he doesn’t want to fight during the holidays.”

“So he believes he’s taking the day off, does he?” Wily spun back around in his chair, excited by the news, “Perhaps this is the perfect time to plan a surprise attack. Bass!”

“You don’t have to shout, I’m right here!” 

“Hmph...well, get ready for bright and early tomorrow morning. And prepare all the robot masters on standby. I want you all to make for Light Labs at dawn when they’ll least expect it!” he sat back and let out a satisfying deranged laugh, “While they’re dreaming of their Christmas presents we’ll attack Mega Man in his own bed!!”

Bass looked unimpressed, “A home invasion on Christmas? That’s low, even for you.” 

Wily waved him away, “Do you want to defeat Mega Man or not, you fool?”

“It won’t be any fun if I kill him while he’s sleeping, what kind of coward does that, besides you?” the robot rolled his eyes again. Wily made a note to himself to remove that specific function from Bass’s programming next time he had the chance.

“Fair enough, then wait for him to get out of bed. I don’t care HOW it’s done, just DO it! That’s an order.”

“Alright, whatever.” he shrugged, “I just need to give Treble his gift before we go tomorrow.”

The scientist perked up, “You got Treble a present…?”

“Duh, it is Christmas after all.” he answered shortly, “Unlike you, I’m not a complete Scrooge.”

Before Wily could shout back a response the door had already slammed shut again, with nothing but a pile of melted snow where the two had stood.

~~~~~

Wily took to his gloomy bed in his gloomy room as usual. While he did tend to work late into the night, he made sure not to do so at the sacrifice of his sleep. A genius of his caliber needed sleep to keep his brain in gear, after all. Wily always slept soundly, never even remotely bothered by the countless moral dilemmas that would keep any other man awake at night. Even the noise of constant work and maintenance of all the robots and machinery outside his quarters couldn’t rouse him. And despite the excitement of this new plan he had hatched, Wily was able to doze almost immediately after he closed his eyes. He hoped he would dream of his successful domination, and everything that would come with it.

What sweet dreams they would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes, if you're interested...
> 
> -The chapters are called "staves" in reference to the original version  
> -Yes that was a Mega Man 11 reference  
> -References are fun
> 
> -Illustrations commissioned by blackclawkitty19 for this story!
> 
> https://twitter.com/oofitsbethi  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackclawKitty19


	2. Stave II - The Ghost of Christmas Past

Some unknown force shook Wiley awake. He was sure he hadn’t heard a sound, and it was so dark that he couldn’t make out anything moving in his bedroom. Now that he was more lucid he realized it was _too_ dark in his room, and it was _far_ too quiet. He was struck with the foreign emotion of fear, of an apprehension he could only recall feeling a few times in his life. Even when staring down Mega Man’s buster he didn’t exactly feel scared - he always had the knowledge that a robot could not truly harm him - but this was another situation entirely. The mad scientist wondered to himself if he had just had a nightmare he couldn’t recall? But that didn’t explain the deafening silence around him, and the lack of absolutely any light coming into his bedroom. 

“...someone get in here!” he shouted into the abyss. When there was no response, not even the echo of his own voice, he became enraged, 

“Someone get in here before I send every single one of you to the scrap heap!!” it hardly sounded like an order when his voice cracked on the word ‘heap’. Wiley felt utterly alone in his massive fortress, if he was even still IN the fortress. His highly logical mind already observed that there was something very unnatural about all this, and it only amplified his fear.

Finally the door cracked open. It nearly started Wily out of bed, but he remained frozen where he was. He felt vulnerable with no machines, no gadgets, no defenses between him and whatever was approaching. A small figure slowly wandered in. It cast no shadow, as if it were a ghost of some sort. The realization made Wily pull the blankets up to his chin in horror. He was a man of science, he had never believed in anything remotely paranormal. And yet this thing was definitely not of this world. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the small stream of light in the otherwise opaque room.

“What the…Proto man!!” he dropped the blankets in pure shock, “What are you doing here?!”

It was Proto Man standing before him, of that Wily was certain, but he seemed different than what the old scientist remembered. Where his helmet normally had a white trim, it was replaced with fire of the same color, radiating far above his head like a candle. The raggedy scarf he always carried around fluttered behind him like a cape that reached his knees. And there was some unearthly aura to him. It made him question if this was truly Proto Man, or some kind of primitive A.I. trying to copy his appearance.

“Tch, I’m not Proto Man.” he said dismissively, leaning on his trademark shield, “I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past. Do I look like Proto Man to you?”

“Yes! Yes you do!! You look like you got some strange upgrades, but it’s definitely you, Blues. Don’t play games with me, I have big plans tomorrow and I need my rest.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here,” the robotic apparition said cryptically, “why we’re here. You need to learn about the spirit of Christmas, old man.”

Despite all his fear and the strange circumstances Wily laughed, his raspy cackling ringing out in the room.

“Spirit of Christmas?! Proto Man, you better check your error logs. That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard you say! What does that even mean? The spirit of Christmas.” he couldn’t stop laughing, even as it began to hurt, “Have you been back at Thomas’ watching Christmas movies?”

“This is no laughing matter, Albert.” hearing his first name spoken by the robot made Wily so uncomfortable he stopped laughing. Blues threw open the door and it gave way to a blinding shower of light. The labs outside his room were well lit, but not to that degree. Yet even with the flood of lights his bedroom remained completely dark. There was no denying it, he had to be dreaming. Nothing that he was seeing was even adhering to the laws of physics anymore. 

Proto Man held his hand out, the light shining behind him like a massive halo, 

“Come with me.”

“Well...I can’t recall ever experiencing a dream like this, but hearing this ‘Christmas spirit’ it ought to be good for a laugh...alright I’m coming.” 

When he stepped out of bed he was surprised to see his skull slippers already on his feet. It struck him as odd, but he reminded himself that this was a dream, and probably the least unusual thing he had seen so far. Hopefully his matching skull patterned pajamas would keep him warm through wherever Proto Man was taking him. He shuffled forward toward the light. Seeing him closer Wily was suddenly unsettled by the spirit before him. 

He held out his gloved hand. Hesitantly, Wily grabbed it, and the second they made contact he felt himself flying impossibly fast. His room was replaced by a blinding light all around them, brighter than even Flash Man’s time stopper. The madman let out a terrified scream as he seemed to be free falling into nothingness. But the moment their hands separated everything halted. The lights faded and when Wily opened his eyes he was amazed. 

“This...this is the university where I studied robotics!”

“No duh.” 

“Don’t talk like I’m some simpleton, Proto Man. It’s like I’m looking into the past itself!” Wily exclaimed. 

“I told you, I’m not Proto Man. I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

“You look like Proto Man, so that’s what I’m calling you.”

The spirit that was decidedly not Proto Man shrugged, “As long as you witness this, what you call me is not important.”

“Well, what am I supposed to be witnessing here?” Wily asked impatiently. He was further annoyed when the spirit did not appear to be the least bit flustered, as most usually were when he showed anger. He simply stared at the scientist for a moment, his expression even more unreadable than normal. Wily watched the white flames dancing from his helmet, and it made him realize his nightcap was still sitting comfortably on his bald head....how had it not flown off? 

“Look here, Albert.”

Wily looked over to where he was pointing. He could now see the room they were in, he could remember it like it was yesterday...it was an old section of the basement. It had always been cold, it made it hard to work with his hands, which he was always doing. He was either tinkering with some mechanical piece or furiously taking notes. 

“Do you remember…?” Proto Man asked.

“How could I not?” he responded quietly, “This is where Thomas and I worked on our doctorate project.”

He became aware of the sound of feverish typing, and he turned to the source. Again Wily found himself overcome with shock, “Th-that’s me!!” 

It was himself, decades younger, hunched over a computer in his old lab coat. Wily rushed forward with his hand out, but his entire arm phased through his younger self. He tumbled to the ground, thankfully also phasing through the desk and the books underneath it. He cursed loudly,

“You could have said that this was a simulation before I nearly gave myself a concussion, you dumb ghost!”

“This is not a simulation,” Proto Man said evenly, “this is the past. We are simply observing it, they cannot see us.”

Wily scrambled back to his feet, “They?? It’s just him - I mean - me in here.”

Proto Man’s silence gave way to the sound of harried breathing. The young Wily was blowing on his hands in a feeble attempt to warm them up. The old Wily could practically feel the chill still in his fingers from so long ago.

“It’s too cold to get anything done in here…”

“Hey, Albert!” a familiar voice rang down the hall. 

Another young scientist appeared, carrying two cups with steam coming from them. He was smiling, and wearing a stupid Santa hat that was close to slipping off his head. 

Albert turned, and at the sight of him just sighed, “I thought you went home already, Thomas.”

“I was going to, but I knew I’d find you still here. I got you coffee.” 

Albert took it, silent but grateful, “This will help, I can’t even feel my fingers anymore.”

Thomas chuckled, “You know they shut down the heat for the next few days? It’s Christmas, remember?”

Albert turned back to the computer with a snort, “Lousy excuse to not get things done. I never cared about Christmas.”

Thomas frowned into his coffee, letting both his hands wrap around his cup, “What do you mean, Albert? You can’t tell me you haven’t celebrated the holidays before!”

“No. Never had anyone to celebrate with.” Albert answered simply, taking a sip of his own. 

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

Confused, the roboticist turned back around, “Why are you sorry? I’m glad I’ve never had to waste my time with all this ‘Christmas’ nonsense. I can get ahead while everyone else is lazing about.”

“But it’s not wasting time when you enjoy it!” Thomas exclaimed, “That’s the point of Christmas.”

Albert just shrugged, “Then you should go spend it with your family, or whoever.”

“I would have liked to, but my family is pretty far from here. I couldn’t afford to go back this year...”

“Drawbacks of having a family, I guess, you end up missing them." Albert said absently. He was already back into his notes, trying to remember where he had left off.

He felt a large hand clap his shoulder, nearly shaking the coffee from his hands, 

“I thought I could spend Christmas with you!”

“Huh??” Albert looked up into his colleague’s smiling face, “Me? You’re friends with everyone in the robotics department, you didn’t go ask any of them?”

“Nope, I wanted to ask you first!”

Albert looked genuinely taken aback. Unsure of where to look, he settled his gaze on the computer screen, “I - I don’t even know what to do for Christmas…”

“That’s fine, I don’t believe there’s any right way to celebrate.” Thomas said happily, “As long as you’re with people you like, and you’re doing things you enjoy.”

“What if I just want to work…?” he asked shyly.

“Well, then let’s get to work.” 

Wily watched the entire scene, and stood by silently as both men sat on the ground in a pile of robot parts. There were no chairs, the department hadn’t given them any. Just the sight of it now made Wily’s back sore. He shut his eyes for a moment, letting the memories take over. When he opened them again there was daylight pouring into the basement from the sole window. The scientists were covered in grease, there were now several empty coffee cups lying about, and there was a nearly completed robot in the middle of the room. 

“This is amazing!! All the programs are compiling successfully. We just need a few more parts and we should be able to activate it.” Thomas was excitedly going over the logs on the computer, until he felt a thin hand on his shoulder, “Huh? Albert?”

The young roboticist revealed one of his rare smiles, one that lit up his face and made his eyes twinkle. Hardly anyone saw Albert Wily without some kind of scowl or frown. It caught Thomas off guard.

“...Thanks. I guess Christmas might not be as overrated as I initially thought.”

Thomas broke into an elated grin, “Merry Christmas, Albert!”

Wily watched the happy exchange with an overwhelming sensation of bitterness in his mouth. It made him grimace and turn away, 

“Why did you bring me here, Proto Man? What’s the point of this? Yes, I remember, I remember it without watching the whole scene in front of me like some sappy movie. Are you happy?”

“I didn’t bring you here on account of my feelings.” he responded evenly, “My only function is to show you things that have already passed.”

Wily scowled at the ghost, “Just take me back home, you little snot!”

“That’s not a very nice way to ask for things. I just demonstrated the power to take you to any time within your past, what if I just left you here stuck in this memory you seem to hate so much?”

Wily snorted, “Very funny. This is just a dream, I’ll wake up eventually. And when I do...Thomas will never know what hit him!” he felt the excitement bubbling up. Seeing his younger form here in front of him only increased his spite. Wily ran up and shoved a finger into Light's face, the other completely unaware of the show, “Listen here Light! You’re about to get the only present you ever deserved! Hahahaaaa!!”

He was interrupted from further monologuing by the sound of Proto Man groaning, loudly. Wily whipped around, “What was that all about?”

Proto Man had his arms crossed. If this wasn’t truly Proto Man, he did a good job replicating him, down to his irritating ability to appear like he was looking down on Wily even though he was two heads shorter. 

“You haven’t learned anything have you, old man? I thought you were supposed to be smart or something.”

“You brat! How dare you insult my intelligence! You...you can’t make a proper judgement based off of the one sample you see here. You don’t know anything!”

“I already know your entire past. Every Christmas, every day before and after.” the ghost answered, leaning to one side like he was bored, “I’ve even seen the Christmas days you spent in jail...NOT pretty.”

“Graaagh!! I’ve had it with you!” Wily raged. He promptly spun on his heels (and almost tripped, being that he was only wearing slippers) and ran toward the robot. Before Proto Man could do anything Wily took the mess of fabric that was his scarf and forced it over his head, smothering the flame coming from his helmet. Without the light of the white fire the entire room around them went dark. Wily looked up in surprise to see nothing but darkness. When he looked back down he realized he was no longer gripping the scarf, but the blanket from his bed. 

“You clearly haven’t realized the spirit of Christmas, you old geezer. Another ghost will be sent to you when the clock strikes two.”

Wily looked around the pitch-black void he was in, unable to see anything. Proto Man was gone but his voice filled the room like it was being projected from a speaker.

“...and trust me, they’re not as nice as I am.”

“You should hardly consider yourself nice, Proto-” 

Before Wily could finish he felt the all consuming abyss of sleep pull him under, his hands still twisted in his blankets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the images are a little messed up, ao3 does NOT like it when you use images with the text.


	3. Stave III - The Ghost of Christmas Present

Wily felt as if he had just been jolted awake. It was a shattering feeling that caused him to sit straight up in bed. He was sure it had to be the next spirit, but after a moment he realized everything was quiet. He was alone. Once again it was too quiet for him to be in Wily Castle, in the middle of preparing for a massive attack the next day. At least this time he could see everything properly, he thought to himself. 

A small beeping startled him again, and for the umpteenth time he nearly jumped out of his bed in fright. It was his wristwatch, he glanced at the numbers glowing faintly in the dark…

02:00AM

He hadn’t remembered setting any kind of alarm or notification for such a strange hour. But then he remembered what not-Proto Man had told him:

Another ghost when the clock strikes two. 

After the last encounter Wily had no more doubts that something was at work here. The complete silence in his room, his watch being set for random hours, it was all part of the next dream. Or was this all the same dream? The mad scientist let out a shout of frustration. 

“Why am I wasting my time with all this?! Hey! Ghost! I’m ready now. Let’s hurry up and get this over with so I can wake up!” he demanded angrily.

He was answered with complete silence. He glanced back down at his watch and saw that it was now three minutes past the hour. He was grateful that this was all a dream, as dumb as it was. At least that meant he was still sleeping, and that meant time was passing all the more closer to morning. Perhaps he just had to move this along himself.

Wily hopped out of bed, noting again that his slippers were already on his feet somehow. He tried to listen for any suspect sounds, but the only thing he could hear was his own breathing. He had to admit, without the constant whir of machinery and computers it left him feeling even more spooked, all this craziness notwithstanding. Perhaps after this was done he should learn to appreciate the solitude more...maybe try meditation...or take a vacation.

“That’s right!” he said to himself, his voice echoing loudly with nothing to absorb the sound, “After tomorrow I’ll be able to take a vacation at Light Labs, first class VIP! Heehehe. I’ll have Mega Man himself serving my drinks, and Thomas will be- OUCH!!” 

After a few steps forward he had collided with a door, his face to the front and a doorknob to his gut. He hadn’t seen a sign of anything solid, but then he remembered he couldn’t see anything at all. He roughly grabbed at the handle, tried pulling, and when it didn’t budge cursed loudly and pushed it open. The mad scientist stumbled into what he immediately recognized as his main lab. He cursed again in surprise. 

“Hey! Watch your language, mister!” a girl’s voice called from somewhere.

Wily whipped around, trying to find what he assumed was the next spirit. It was his lab, yet it was completely different. None of the computers and machines were there, there were no robot parts, and not a skull or a “W” insignia to be seen. The walls were instead covered in garlands of ivy and holly, turning the lab into a practical greenhouse. Where his desk had been was a homey looking fireplace with a generous fire inside, giving off warmth even from the other side of the room. In every corner were large tables, stacked high with sumptuous food. Turkeys and fancy cakes and cookies, pies and baskets of different breads; all of it giving off scents that would make anyone ravenous with just a whiff. Finally in the middle of the sprawling room was a pile of toys and gifts, some of them wrapped up in shiny paper, or festive bags, or perfectly tied ribbons. On the top of the huge pile sat a little girl, looking down at Wily with a happy grin. 

The old man jumped back against the wall, his nightcap getting tangled in a wreath. He cursed in surprise and tried to yank it out of the leaves,

“I know you!! You’re um - what’s her name...Roll! You’re Roll!”

The girl just laughed, “No I’m not, silly. But you can call me that if you want.”

From below he couldn’t see her too well, but he was certain it was that little robot of Light’s. Her golden hair was in its familiar ponytail, and on her head lay a verdant wreath with red berries so shiny they reflected the light from the fire. She was wrapped in a deep green dress, all trimmed with perfectly white fur. Again she carried the same otherworldly aura as Proto Man, that Wily had decided to label as ‘spirit-like’.

Surrounded by all the cheer and warmth, and seeing the child smiling at him lowered Wily’s defenses. His shoulders sagged and he sighed quietly, taking in all the amazing smells as he did so,

“Well then, if you’re not Roll...what spirit are you?”

She giggled, “I’m the Ghost of Christmas Present! Isn’t that obvious?”

“I suppose…”

“Then maybe you’re not as stupid as I thought.” she said.

“Wha - HEY!! Don’t forget my genius is part of the reason why you even exist, as much as Light takes all the credit.”

The spirit threw her head back and laughed, despite her small voice her laughter filled the entire room, “That’s the silliest thing I ever heard! I’ve existed for every Christmas since before you were born. You have absolutely no impact on me. Compared to me, you mere mortal, you are nothing.”

“Ouch…”

Roll skipped down the massive pile, lightly landing on her feet in front of Wily. She made sure to smooth her dress before looking back up at him.

“So, what are you here to show me then, Ghost of Christmas Present?”

“To show you the spirit of Christmas that you’re missing out on at this very moment! Come with me.” she held out her hand, her small fingers barely poking out from underneath the fur trim. He sighed and took it, hoping silently that whatever was about to happen would pass quickly. 

The floor beneath them vanished into a mess of colors and movement. The toys and food and decorations had disappeared with them. It was as if they were looking down from a plane. Wily watched as it took them over sprawling fields covered in undisturbed snow. It was nighttime, lights from distant houses twinkled around the landscape. The vision at his feet slowed to a halt at the gate of a large complex,

“That’s Light Labs, for sure.” the mad scientist declared.

Roll threw her other hand out, and the threshold faded so that they could see inside. Wily shamelessly looked everything over, since he had never seen inside Thomas’s actual house before. His lab he knew well enough, as his sworn enemy that was almost to be expected. Although now this was more out of curiosity than any evil intent.

He could see the hallway leading into the dining room and kitchen. A small robot creature - he believed it was called Eddie - was scurrying back and forth carrying plates and cups to the table. The entire house was lit warmly and different food smells wafted through the rooms. The first word that came to Wily’s mind was ‘cozy’. A robotic cat was lazing underneath the table, until Roll came running in with a tray full of still steaming cookies. Seeing the girl snapped Wily from his trance, and he turned back to make sure the current Roll was still there. She looked up at him blankly as he sputtered and pointed,

“See! You see her there! That’s Roll! That’s definitely you, I’m not the crazy one here.”

The spirit Roll looked down to her counterpart and shrugged, “I don’t look anything like that, you crazy old man! She is really cute though, I love how her hair is done.”

Wily had to do a double-take between them again to be sure. He decided it was better to not comment, and kept watching the scene below.

“Auto!” the real Roll called out, “Dinner is ready. Can you get Dr. Light for me?”

“Yeah yeah. Oh boy, dinner!! The only thing better than Roll’s Christmas Eve dinner is Roll's Christmas Day dinner!”

The mechanic robot was in the living room. Wily looked over and saw a fluffy green Christmas tree taking up a corner. It was lit with an assortment of colored lights, taking turns twinkling on and off, and decorated head to toe with handmade ornaments. There were snowflakes cut from paper, little snowmen made with felt, paper baubles covered in glitter and stickers, and a few larger, more professionally made ornaments stuck out. Wily realized they all had a year written on them, and they contained photos of Light and his robots. He couldn’t make out the writing or the photos, he could only recognize Mega Man’s blue armor in the majority of them. 

Wily’s attention was brought back to the dining room as the cat jumped onto the table, Roll laughed.

“You know these are for dessert, Tango!” she then looked down, her face darkened, “I just hope Rock is home in time.”

Auto came clamoring back up and dove into his chair, ‘Doc says he’s finishing some stuff and he’ll be up. He told us not to wait.”

Roll sighed, “But I cooked this special…! I’ll bet he’s making sure Mega Man is out there still safe. I’ll just heat it up for him later.” she sat down next to Auto, who was already tucking in to his plate.

“I wish stupid Wily could at least give us a break over Christmas.” she said quietly. 

The man in question suddenly felt like he was being stared at. He knew they weren’t aware of him watching but it still felt strange to hear himself being talked about.

“I know! Does that jerk have no heart? Even just one -”

Auto was interrupted by the door creaking open. A weary child in smoking blue armor shuffled in, followed by his faithful dog and bird companion. The other bots jumped up from their chairs and rushed to him,

“Mega Man!!”

“Hey, Mega buddy! You alright?”

“Mm hm, I’m just tired.” despite his injuries he was smiling, “I wanted to make it home in time for dinner.”

“Don’t worry about that! Do you need repairs? What about Rush?” Roll fussed over them all, wiping the freshly fallen snow from the dog’s head.

“Just an e-tank and I’ll be fine. I deactivated two of the robot masters today.” Rock said, “I think if I keep this up we should have Dr. Wily stopped before New Years.”

The same uneasy feeling came over him again at the mention of his name. That feeling of being watched was worse than ever. Then he realized it was the spirit who had been staring at him the entire time, and he had been too caught up in watching the scene to notice. He jumped back in surprise,

“W-What’s that look for??”

“Do you not see the pain you’re causing these children on a day that is meant for joy and good things?” 

“I…” he turned away from her harsh eyes practically reaching into his soul, “they are Light’s creations! They need to suffer too!!”

“You truly wish to ruin a time like this? For them and many others as well? How many good memories have you robbed from other children with your plans, Albert?”

It was beyond disturbing hearing his name spoken in Roll’s voice, after hearing everything a moment ago. He shut his eyes, “Don’t call me that!”

She leaped up suddenly and snatched Wily by the ear. She yanked his head down and screamed,

“I’ll call you whatever I want, old man!”

“Owwie ow!!”

“Now stop giving me attitude and watch!” before Wily could further protest she released his ear and shoved him forward. He had no option other than to do what he was told.

The scene below them had progressed, they were now all seated at the table again. Mega Man was wolfing down the meal his sister had prepared. He was definitely tired, but he seemed happy, talking and laughing with everyone at the table. Rush was seated under Rock’s chair, gnawing on a bone and giving a happy tail wag every now and then. Wily almost smiled at it all, forgetting who they were. Any other onlooker would have been warmed at the sight. 

The last member of the Light family finally emerged from the lab. His face brightened at the sight of everyone at the table,

“Rock, my boy, you’re back!” 

“Merry Christmas, Dr. Light!” he responded through a mouthful of food.

He passed by and gave the child a warm pat on the head, he stopped to rub some dirt off of the top of his helmet, “Rock, why don’t you switch out of your armor?”

Mega Man set down his fork, and physically wilted in his chair, “I want to be prepared...I know it’s Christmas, but you never know with Wily.”

“You’re right, it’s not like the holidays have stopped him in the past.” Light said, his voice now grave.

“...but for now everyone’s here! And don’t worry, I’ll make Christmas dinner tomorrow like I always do...even if it’s a little delayed.” Roll finished sheepishly, “Work comes first.”

“I’ve been so preoccupied in the lab I haven’t even noticed the decorations. You did a wonderful job, Roll.” 

“Thanks! I wish you would let me decorate the lab again like you did that one year.” 

The man sat down with a loud grunt, customary of men his age, “I would, Roll, but remember that time I was repairing Rock and a spark caught all the tinsel on fire?”

“We’re lucky Dr. Light’s favorite assistant was there to save the day!” 

“Auto, you didn’t save the day! You ran around screaming while we grabbed the fire extinguishers.” Roll countered.

“Oh, yeah huh…?” 

The three of them all broke out into laughter at the memory, until Dr. Light noticed Mega Man had not joined in.

“Rock, are you...Rock!” he exclaimed at the sight of him, his head hung and tears trickling down his face. Everyone dashed from their chairs to his side,

“I just wanted to spend Christmas with everyone.” the boy said through sniffles, “I want one time where we can all be home and I don’t have to worry about attacks. Just for a day...it’s…”

“I know, Rock, I know.” he gathered both children into his arms, “But you mustn't blame Dr. Wily for it.”

Rock continued his muffled cries into Dr. Light’s shirt. Roll pulled away, indignant, 

“Not blame Wily?! But this is ALL his fault! If it weren’t for him we COULD have a good Christmas. Rock is right, is one day too much to ask for?!” 

“It is because of Wily that we’re in this situation, yes...but to him, Christmas is just another day. He’s not doing this during the holidays to be cruel. He’s never known what Christmas can be.”

“He doesn’t celebrate with anyone?” Rock asked. 

The old scientist shook his head sadly, “He never got to experience the joy of just being with others, like we have. It’s a privilege that I know he’s missed out on...even if he doesn’t realize it himself. I truly wish he could know the feeling.”

“I doubt it would make him change.” Roll said bitterly, falling back to hug her brother.

“I doubt it too, but it might make him appreciate this time of year just a little more. So please, children...don’t be angry with Wily for this. We can only hope that this time around he might finally realize his mistakes. Besides, there’s nothing saying we can’t celebrate on our own time once this is all over!”

“Yeah…” Rock agreed, “Maybe someday we can even convince Wily to join us?”

“I would like that! It’s a nice dream...something to wish for.” Dr. Light said happily.

“Wily’s done crazier things than that before, you never know!” Auto joked in an attempt to cheer everyone up. It seemed to work, with all three Lights responding with smiles and laughter.

Wily couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sight. He felt something inside him building, an uncomfortable feeling, one he was unfamiliar with. Without realizing it he shuddered.

“Haha, are you crying?” the Roll next to him asked suddenly.

“What? No! Of course not!” in spite of himself Wily checked under his eyes for tears, “So this...this is actually happening?”

“As you see before you, yes.”

As instantly as it had appeared it was gone, replaced with the floor from before. Wily had been watching until the very final moment, and the last thing he saw was all of them embracing again, his eyes specifically on Mega Man and his smile. The mad scientist didn’t pick his eyes up from the floor for another long moment, but when he did he noticed the room was now a lot more bare than it had been at first. He turned to the spirit and realized she was now transparent. 

“Spirit?? What’s happening?” 

A sudden chill swept up from the ground and through Wily’s pajamas, and for the first time tonight he felt cold. The ghost gave another giggle, as bright and clear as a bell,

“My time is almost up.” 

“Your time?” Wily stepped back and realized she was fading even more, but she continued to stare up at him happily. 

“I only last one day, after all.”

The flame in the fireplace was suddenly snuffed out, leaving nothing but the moonlight from some unknown window. Wily checked his watch.

23:58PM

“How is it midnight...? Wait, spirit! Roll!” 

The little girl was barely visible anymore, yet her giggle still filled the entire room, “I told you, you old coot, my name’s not Roll. Ah, I don’t have much time left…”

The room was now barren of anything, feeling boundless and desolate, and Wily suddenly felt alone. Too alone. He reached out to the last little glimmer that was left. He could barely make out her smiling face.

“But you still haven’t learned. I guess that means the next spirit will be here soon.”

His watch went off.

00:00AM

A full-on wind blew in from somewhere, sending a strong shudder down Wily’s body. Even his ear where he had been grabbed no longer burned. He lifted his eyes from where the spirit had been, and could see something approaching from the shadows.


	4. Stave IV - The Ghost of Christmas Future

The next spirit trudged towards Wily, with every second summoning more dread and fear. It was a shadowy figure, taller than the last, but not quite as tall as himself. The man felt glued in place, even as his senses were screaming for him to run. The air was now as cold as a December night. There were no more walls of the room housing him, everything had just faded into endless shadows. 

It finally came up to him, and the darkness gave way to reveal its true figure. Wily was shocked from his stuck position and fell backwards, nearly hitting his head.

“B-Bass! It can’t be!!”

Wily knew it wasn’t truly his own creation, something that he knew better than anyone, yet here it had stolen Bass’ form. Under his chestplate fell a long flowing robe that was pitch black, so dark that Wily couldn’t make out the feet, if he had any. But his top was the most horrifying. It was Bass’ trademark helmet, with all its colors and the proud shape, but the ends faded into withering shadows behind him. His face was mostly concealed by darkness, giving him an even more threatening appearance with the ends of his helmet snaking out like a threatening halo. Wily wanted to see his face, he would have given anything at that moment to see his Bass, and not the twisted form before him.

“Spirit! Why do you have to take THIS form? My own invention?! What are you here for?”

This spirit did not respond, instead it lifted an arm and pointed to where it had just come from. Wily waited a moment, waiting for some kind of talk, or a gesture, anything to reassure him, but it never came. 

“Then are you...the Ghost of Christmas Future?” 

It lowered its arm and gave a slow nod. 

“I don’t know if I want to see this, Bass...should I even call you that?”

It simply resumed pointing as before, the shadows and icy mist underneath it swirling up. Wily sensed anger coming from it. He scrambled to his feet,

“Alright alright, I’m going!”

He felt an unearthly gaze on his back as he shuffled forward. Out of everything he had seen now, this was the only time he felt truly afraid. He wasn’t even sure where he was walking to, it could have been his death for all he knew. Yet he trusted in the spectre. If the first two spirits had meant well (even if they were rude and annoying), then this one must have the same intentions.

The mist under his feet was swept up and seemed to take over everything, clouding his vision and stealing his breath with how cold it was. When it cleared the ghost was right by his side, making Wily jump back in fright. 

“Cripes! Trying to scare me to death before this is -” 

He was cut off by a loud rumbling above him. He was shocked to look up and realized an entire building was about to collapse on top of him. Just in time he got his barings and ran from the worst of the rubble. After all, he had been in enough falling buildings by now to know what to expect of them. 

A blast of heat flew behind him before he could congratulate himself for the skillful dodge. Wily guessed it was plasma, judging by the temperature and smell of it. And plasma shots were never a good sign for the mad scientist. He looked to its source and saw a small robot running in his direction, the buster aimed directly at him. He again leaped out of its way just in time to avoid being vaporized. Frantic, Wily ducked behind a chunk of wall. Instantly Bass was floating solemnly beside him.

“Bass, what is this? Where have you taken me?”

It was a city, but it was all nearly in ruins. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Everything was total chaos. People were running and screaming in terror, sirens and explosions and buster blasts filled the air. It was snowing, but with all the smoke and destruction it had turned the flakes into a black slush. 

Among the rubble Wily spotted a ripped up desk calendar sitting at his feet. He gasped.

December 25th.

“This is Christmas, now?! How far in the future is this? Spirit, tell me that! What happened? Is this MY doing?”

The specter only pointed upward, and Wily’s attention was caught by something floating in the sky. It was a capsule, one that seemed similar to his own models. He squinted through the smog to see what he thought would be himself, until he realized the silhouette was bulkier. It wasn’t Wily, it was the last person on Earth he ever expected to be looking down upon death and destruction.

“Thomas?!” Wily cried out.

Floating ominously in the capsule was none other than Dr. Light. He had a manic grin on his face, he was giddily pressing switches and yelling into a headset, most likely commanding whatever forces were responsible for all this. Wily called out to his former friend, but of course he couldn’t hear. He fell back to the floor and nearly curled in on himself,

“What is happening? This can’t be! Thomas can’t be -”

He was cut off by a loud, maniacal laugh, so sinister it sent shivers down his spine. It was booming and chilling all at the same time. He looked up and realized it could only have come from Light. Wily now collapsed to the ground in anguish,

“And his evil laugh is better than mine?! Noooo!!” he howled, “Bass, spirit! Please! Show me how this is even possible! This can’t be the future...this is just a nightmare. This can’t really happen, but it feels so real right now. Is this really what is going to hap-”

Once again he was cut off by the sound of metal feet clanging on the pavement. Wily looked up to see a buster in his face, and its owner was none other than Mega Man.

Only he realized that it wasn’t the real Mega Man. It was a copy, with a grave expression and lifeless, red eyes. He heard the buster charge up, and all he could do was bow his head and scream. The last thing Wily would see were those sinister eyes staring down its target.

A flash of light pierced through his closed eyes, but he realized it hadn’t been the buster shot. He looked up. Now it was the ghostly Bass leering over him. Wily glanced to his sides, desperately avoiding looking at the spirit. He was inside an intact building, he realized that he must have been brought here, and for a good reason.

“What is here, spirit…? What more do I need to see?”

Bass leaned over him even further, forcing Wily to look up at this thing that resembled his own creation. There were enough lights to see by, but he still couldn’t discern any eyes on the ghost. His Bass was so expressive, it was beyond unsettling to not know if this one was angry, or enjoying itself, or perhaps worse, feeling sorry for Wily. It pointed a billowing sleeve down the hallway, and Wily immediately obeyed. He scrambled to his feet, dust and rubble falling off of him as he shuffled forward. Getting a proper look without the ghost standing in his way, Wily easily recognized this place. It was the Robot Museum. Some of the capsules were destroyed, their subjects long gone. A few remained intact. Wily knew how to crack the security code on every single one of them, having used this place for his own devious plans in the past. He could only imagine that Light himself had stolen the robots this time.. 

At the end of the hall there was a new capsule. It was more elaborate than the rest, and the very sight of it filled Wily with dread. He had a bad idea he knew what robot master lay within it. He turned away, but was met with Bass directly in front of him. Wily jumped back in fright, he hadn’t even realized it had been following him so closely. The scientist fell to his knees, falling back into the same position he would always end up before Mega Man, pretending to ask for forgiveness. Only this time Wily truly felt he was begging for his life, his voice trembled with a desperation he didn’t know he had,

“Bass, please don’t make me look! I know what’s there, I don’t need to see. I promise I already know.” 

The shadow grew in size, swelling to take over Wily’s entire range of vision. He knew he had messed up just then. He felt a force under his body, but it was only icy cold air. It yanked him up by his arms and spun him around. There was nothing that he could see grabbing him, but he certainly felt it as it shoved him forward. He nearly collided with the capsule. On the bottom was a dusty plaque, he was forced to read it, confirming his worst fears.

~Mega Man~  
Rock Light  
Beloved son, brother, and hero  
Dec 17, 20XX - Dec 25…….

Wily shut his eyes and looked away before he could see the year of Mega Man’s demise, knowing full well already what it was. It was as if not witnessing it with his own eyes made it easier to ignore. This was all some twisted nightmare, this couldn’t be real...what cruel lesson was he supposed to learn from this?

“Spirit!! Please let me go home! This wasn’t how it was supposed to be!” he shouted, hunching away from the cursed capsule, “This wasn’t how it was going to happen. I meant to defeat Mega Man and humiliate Light forever, not - not this! Anything but this! Thomas isn’t capable of this madness, why didn’t anyone stop him?!”

In response another gust of wind flew around him, scattering some papers from a nearby table. The spirit remained looming over him, blocking Wily from running anywhere. A newspaper tapped against his fingers as it slid across the ground. He realized it was his own picture staring back at him. In a frenzy he picked it up and scanned it. 

EVIL SCIENTIST DR. WILY KILLED BY EX-PARTNER

And underneath his picture was his birthday, followed by where his death date should have been, except it had been ripped off. Wily looked around, desperately trying to find the missing scrap. It was nowhere to be seen. He dropped the newspaper, grabbing at his head as it felt like everything was falling down around him,

“He couldn’t...Thomas couldn’t...this can’t be the future!! B-Bass, what happens to you, then?”

The spirit didn’t respond, only still floating over Wily’s head like it meant to swallow him whole.

“I can’t let this happen, this is the future...but can it be changed? Spirit, please tell me. I can change this, right?!” in his desperation Wily grabbed at the long black robe. The ghost pulled back roughly, but Wily followed it.

“Bass, Bass....Thomas! Mega Man! I will not let this happen. I can remember Christmas...I can give them their wish...anything to prevent this nightmare from coming true.”

The ghost continued to back away from him. Wily could only crawl on his hands and knees to keep after it, but as he spoke he felt strength return to his legs,

“I get it now! I get this whole ‘Christmas’ idea! Please give me a second chance. I will make this right!!” 

Spurred by his desperation, Wily lunged at the specter with a renewed intensity. But his hands came up empty, grabbing at empty piles of fabric. With nothing solid in front of him he fell forward face-first into the ghost, and his vision filled with nothing but blackness and a chilling wind. He prepared to hit the ground.

And he did. His face caught most of the impact with his hands still tangled in the robes. The darkness gave way to blinding pain.

“Ouch!! Gah! Listen, I will not give up - I -” he clambered back to his feet and shook the fabric off. He managed to open his eyes, and stopped when his vision was met with sunlight. He looked down and realized he had been wrestling with his blanket. His own blanket. His bed. 

The old scientist took in his surroundings. His pajamas, they were spotless, his slippers were thrown at the side of his bed like he had left them. A painful knot was already forming on his forehead, but he didn’t even notice the pain anymore. 

He was awake!


	5. Stave V - Christmas Day

In an ecstasy he hadn’t felt in probably decades, Wily jumped out of the pile of blankets and ran out of his bedroom. He grabbed at the very first robot master that passed him in the hall,

“You! Please tell me! What’s the day?”

“Ah...December 25th…” he looked down on the scientist, unsure if he was more unsettled by the sight of Wily so excited, or the fact that he was still in his pajamas. Wily unhanded him and looked down at his watch.

06:05AM

“It’s still Christmas, I still have time! I need to call off the attack….Bass! Where is Bass??” he grabbed at the robot again. 

The poor thing would have started shaking in fright if he were physically able, “H-he should be at the base entrance. We were getting ready to head out like you ordered…”

“That’s not happening anymore! You have the day off. You and everyone here has off for Christmas. Now I need to go! No time to waste!” and with that the old scientist ran over to his main office, almost sliding into the console because of his slippers.

“Bass! Everyone! Listen to me, cancel all attacks this morning. We’re not going after Mega Man today.” he took his finger off the universal comm and was immediately back in his bedroom before he could hear any responses. He had been given this second chance, he wasn’t about to waste a moment of it. 

Wily was still trembling with excitement as he got dressed, all the visions replaying in his head clearer than any dream he could ever recall. He saw Mega Man in his house with Light and the others, and then the red-eyed copy aiming a buster at him, and worst of all, Thomas with his evil laugh watching over everything. That chilling laugh would never leave him, it would be his reminder to always respect Christmas, and whatever dumb things it was supposed to stand for. 

“Thomas...there’s no way you could ever have a better evil laugh than myself...I won’t let you down on Christmas! I won’t let anyone down!” Wily searched through the drawer dedicated to his ties, most of which were either purple or black, and decorated with skulls and bats. He finally found an old green one, it would have to be festive enough for now. He then ran back to his computer desk, still full of adrenaline. He figured he wouldn’t need much today, perhaps some money to get presents for the children? No...he wasn’t THAT generous. He didn’t care how snarky Blues’ ghost had been, or how violent Roll was, or how terrifying Bass’ spirit seemed. Yes, it was a day to be merciful, but he was still Dr. Albert Wily. He could respect the Christmas spirit and still be evil. 

As he scrambled to find the keys to one of his old capsules his hands knocked over some papers on the keyboard. They were the attack plans for this morning, scribbled quickly before he had gone to bed. He threw them all in the garbage and grabbed a sticky note to make one more scribble before he left: to resume after Xmas..

It was still early in the morning but somehow Wily felt like he was running out of time. He quickly made his way to the nearest elevator. Inside were Magnet Man and Bubble Man, both holding e-tanks and looking frazzled,

“Hey, it’s Wily!”

“Doc! What’s going on? We just got your message to-”

“I know. I meant it, we’re letting Mega Man have his holiday. No attacks today!”

The two robot masters glanced at each other in utter confusion,

“But, why…?”

“Because! I’ve learned about the spirit of Christmas!” 

“The WHAT?” Magnet Man repeated.

“I don’t know what it means either, but all I know is that if we destroy Mega Man today, the world will fall into chaos. Things will be horrible.”

“Isn’t that what you want…?” Bubble Man asked hesitantly. He looked like he was on the verge of a stack overflow.

“And no one will ever out-do me in evil! I will respect every Christmas of my life in order to make it so!” Wily announced, not hearing the robot’s question. 

“So uh, does this mean we can have Christmas off too, doc?” Magnet Man added hopefully.

“Yes, of course! Everyone gets Christmas off, let the others know.”

“What about Boxing Day? Can we get that off too?” 

“I don’t even know what that is, but sure.” Wily responded happily. The elevator door opened and he bounded away, leaving the two robots in a mix of bewilderment and happiness.

On this level of the fortress there were actual windows, and Wily could see the sunlight pouring in. The cold winter’s day made the sun seem especially bright, and the occasional snowflake coming down in the sky sparkled in a way that Wily was almost willing to admit seemed...magical. But it also reminded him to grab his coat, in all his excitement he had almost forgotten where he put it. He began combing all the nearby closets close to the entrance.

“Hey, Wily! What the hell is going on now? You just called off the attack?” 

He turned around and saw Bass and Treble quickly approaching. The robot seemed even more angry than usual, but Wily couldn’t contain his relief. It was the real Bass, his own creation standing before him. There were no ominous shadows, no flowing robes coming to grab him. 

“Bass, my boy! It’s you!!” Wily had slipped his coat on and ran to meet the two halfway. The boy looked up at him suspiciously. The old scientist had never been so happy to see him, “Merry Christmas! I’m so happy to see you, I could - in fact I will!” he threw his arms around Bass and squeezed him tightly. But he knew he had no time to waste. He quickly pulled away, and with a pat on both Bass and Treble’s heads he ran off. 

Bass remained frozen where he was, short-circuiting and unable to even move. Treble pawed at him every now and then, but his master gave no response.

~~~~~~

It took a few hours for Wily to fly his capsule to Light labs. He had to take some indirect routes to avoid being caught in any major cities, he was still a wanted man after all. The sun was slowly rising higher in the sky, and with it rose Wily’s trepidation. The entire way there Light’s evil laugh rang in his ears, but then it would be quieted by his new promise: he would let Mega Man keep his silly holidays. The scientist never thought he would be giving up an opportunity to defeat the Blue Bomber, but he had definitely learned his lesson.

The little clock on the capsule panel read 8:00AM exactly as Wily lowered himself right outside of Light Lab’s gate. He wanted to comment on how ridiculously easy it was to just go right up to his arch enemy’s door, but he knew now wasn’t the time for that. He unlatched the simple metal gate and ran all the way to the front door, his feet falling through the unshoveled snow from last night. Breathless, he knocked frantically on the door.

“Open up!! Someone...hah...open up!! Merry Chrys - Chrims - whatever!!”

He heard metal feet scrambling around and the bark of a dog. He was soon greeted by Roll, who was of course not dressed like her ghost counterpart, but seeing her face startled Wily regardless. Then seeing the anger that immediately took over her little form made him even more afraid,

“What the -?! Wily?!” she reached for a broom, holding it in both of her hands like a weapon. 

Wily was spooked again. Taking a step back his foot slipped on the icy porch and he tumbled backwards. Now he would have a wonderful bump on the back of his head to match the one on the front.

“Stop, stop!! Merry Christmas! I’m here for Christmas, don’t hit me again!”

“Again?” Roll echoed, “I haven’t hit you yet...but just give me a minute!”

“Roll!” a familiar, deeper voice called out, “What’s wrong?”

“Roll! Rush!” then a boy’s voice. 

Wily was still on the ground, but he could recognize their voices. Soon Thomas Light and Mega Man had taken her place in the doorway, their faces just as shocked as Roll’s.

“Wily!!” the boy robot exclaimed fiercely. 

“Albert? What are you doing here?”

The madman shakily climbed back to his feet, keeping his hands out in a defensive gesture, “I know this seems strange, but I had to come tell you myself...I’m giving you the holidays off. I’ll call a truce for today…Merry Christmas.” he finished with a huff. 

All three of the Lights looked at him like he had sprouted another head. Wily instantly became annoyed, “Didn’t you hear what I said? You can spend Christmas doing your stupid little happy things! You don’t have to cry anymore, Mega Man, you can have Christmas dinner with your family, just like you wanted.”

The boy blinked, “How did you know that…?”

“Albert, this is certainly unexpected. Why did you come all the way here to tell us...and so early?”

Looking at Thomas the evil scientist realized that he was still in his pajamas, as was Roll in a nightgown. The only one dressed and ready was Mega Man, in his blue armor and appearing to be at full power. 

“Look, don’t ask HOW, I just...I witnessed some crazy things, and I understand the spirit of Christmas now.”

Mega Man doubled over laughing, Roll just narrowed her eyes even more, “The spirit of...what does that even MEAN?” she pointed an authoritative finger in his face, “whatever it means, I don’t believe you one bit!”

“I promise you! I swear on all the sappy, silly things that this holiday stands for...I came all the way here in person to tell you. I’m calling this truce…” he pointed a finger back at all of them, “but JUST for Christmas! Once all this is over it’s back to ending you!”

Dr. Light actually laughed in response, “I guess it’s a Christmas miracle! Albert finally understands the meaning of Christmas. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“You believe him??” both the children asked. The good doctor put his arms around them.

“I do! I truly believe Albert wouldn’t come all the way out here on a cold winter’s morning and have to stand right in front of all of us to be bluffing. After all, there are none of his usual theatrics, no disasters, no stunts, no speeches. And he’s willing to prostrate himself in front of Mega Man with just his sad, impractical self to grovel like a-”

“Okay okay, we get it, Thomas! Yes, it’s just me here, and I’ve wished you a Merry Christmas.”

“W-Wily…” Mega Man looked up at him, his blues eyes shining with happiness, “Thank you so much! This means so much to me.”

The doctor just looked away, trying not to remember the Mega Man from his vision staring back with those red eyes. He couldn’t believe he was doing this, but the dream, the spirits, would come back every time to remind him that this was more than worth it. At least disaster had been prevented.

Wily cleared his throat, “Yes well, I’ve said what I needed to say. Enjoy your Christmas…”

“Wait, Albert. You aren’t going back to just spend the holiday alone, are you?” Dr. Light asked.

The mad scientist had turned his back to them, but he looked back to answer, “Well of course. And yes, I promise I won’t spend it on plotting any world domination.”

He saw Light exchange glances with both the robots, and they all smiled. He looked back up,

“Spend Christmas with us, Albert. Then you can really enjoy the day as it’s supposed to be!”

“And to keep an eye on you…” Roll muttered under her breath.

“Yeah! Roll really is the best cook, you should stay for dinner.” Mega Man added.

“...”

Undoubtedly Wily felt the pull toward the warmth of the house. The visions of what he had seen in his dreams came back in full force. Mega Man transformed out of his armor, and now held a small, ungloved hand out to him.

“...Fine. But only so you see for once that I am telling the truth.” he finally said.

The Light children cheered, and Thomas came out to clap him on the back before taking his coat. 

“It really is a Merry Christmas! I never thought we’d ever spend another Christmas together, Albert. This really is the best gift we could ask for.”

Wily just rolled his eyes, “Oh, humbug.”

He was met with spirited laughter from everyone.

And indeed it was the best Christmas any of them could remember, even if Wily himself would never admit it out loud. The entire day was full of the special cheer that only Christmas could bring. There were games and fun, the excitement of watching the children open their gifts, the mirth of family being together with guests, and finally the wonderful feast. Wily ate so much that he could not have gotten up to leave even if he had wanted to. He stayed well into the evening, enjoying the festivities and almost forgetting it was his enemies he was placating. Yes, he had prevented a terrible future, but perhaps this Christmas today had not been so terrible either.

~~~~~

It was already dark, and the snowfall was getting heavier, but Rush jetted through the air undisturbed. Mega Man rode along, kept heated by his adaptive armor, and still deeply warmed by the events of the day. He was on his way to Wily’s fortress, which thankfully he had already obtained the coordinates of the day before. So the doctor in question didn’t mind allowing him to go off for a brief visit, as long as he promised not to collect any intel for his future mission.

Rock had asked during dessert why Bass hadn’t come with him. Wily had been too busy sipping eggnog with Dr. Cossack and laughing at some joke Rock didn’t understand to give the boy his full attention. He simply answered that he didn’t know, and that he was probably back home watching tv, since “that’s all that useless boy does on his days off”. Rock asked if he could go to wish him a Merry Christmas, since after all, Wily calling a truce meant that all his forces were on break. The mad scientist didn’t care, simply telling him not to snoop too much, and so away Rock went.

He and Rush landed in front of a typical Wily-style fortress. With all the defenses down he walked right in to the entrance. Rock had to admit that everything seemed much less foreboding when it wasn’t armed to the teeth and he could just waltz right in. Although he was worried how he was going to find Bass in such a large building.

He didn’t need to search at all, instead spotting Bass standing next to a couple of storage closets directly ahead of him. Rock jumped with excitement,

“Bass! Bass wait up!” he ran up to the Wily-bot, surprised that he had no reaction. He had expected him to either immediately run, or throw a punch at him, but his back remained turned to him.

“Bass…?” Rock turned to face him, in the corner nearby Treble simply looked on. He was clearly watching Mega Man approach, but somehow had deemed his presence acceptable for once. Then Rock wondered if maybe something was wrong.

“Bass...are you alright?”

The boy was staring straight ahead, a dumb look on his face, as if he had been slapped. He didn’t seem to be processing anything in front of him. Rock waved an anxious hand in front of his eyes, “Bass? Bass, what’s wrong??”

He muttered something, but it was too quiet for his audio receptors to pick up, “Huh….?”

He looked back at Treble, whose resigned expression told Rock that they had probably been here like this all day. Rush poked at his side with his nose, but he still didn’t react. Bass muttered again, this time Rock leaned in to listen closely,

“....hug….”

“Hug…?” he echoed, “Oh! You want a hug? Is that all?” Rock exclaimed happily, “Of course!”

He threw his arms around the Wily-bot, almost jumping into him as he did so, “Merry Christmas, Bass!!”

In the background, Treble’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head, most likely emoting the feelings of pure shock that Bass was currently unable to show himself. Rock pulled away with a smile, he was so happy he didn’t seem to notice that Bass hadn’t moved at all,

“Well...Wily said not to stay here too long, so we better go. See you later Bass, and Merry Christmas again!” 

The blue robot and his dog dashed off. Bass remained where he was, and his faithful wolf thought he heard another circuit shorting out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it all the way here...thank you for reading!! This year has sucked, Christmas isn't going to be very much fun, and I know it's the same for lots of people this year. So hopefully this could be a little Christmas fun to distract us!
> 
> I wasn't kidding when I said I took some liberties...I couldn't find an equivalent to the Marley's ghost from the original, so I just left him out entirely. I also left out some of the other small details in Dickens' version, for both the sake of brevity and keeping this on the lighter side. 
> 
> But anyway, Merry Christmas! Happy New Year, all that good stuff. 
> 
> Once again all illustrations were by the talented Blackclawkitty19, who just made this little project so much more fun (and yes, her commissions are open)!


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